PhotoTR: Simon doing the Netherlands!

[simon8899]

Slagharen in a fun little park near the german-dutch border were you'll find seldom-found rides that were formerly

on the carnival circuit in germany and the netherlands. A highlight for coaster-enthusiasts is a Schwarzkopf

Looping-Star. But there're also a 1972 Schwarzkopf Monster II, a 1974 Schwarzkopf Enterprise and a 1982 Weber

Traumboot - rides you'll hardly find anywere else.

 

The basic theming is that of a wild-west town - but it's hardly consistent as the former carnival rides were not

re-themed to fit into the wild-west. On the other hand you can see nearly all rides in their original 70s or 80s

carnival outfits.

 

I visited the netherlands on a slow week between all vacations so I had much time to ride and only little or no

lines at all.

 

The view down Main Street form the entrance. Here you'll find tons of souvenir-shops and snack-shacks. For quite a

bargain you can get a Coke, a fried Bratwurst and tons of fries...

 

I see Schwarzkopf loops! This Looping Star was built here in 1979 - one of the few rides originally built for this

park. A few years ago it got a "Steamtrain" train from the UK of course with lapbars only - and this way turned into

"Thunderloop".

 

Even for beeing 32 years old it's amzingly smooth and packs a lot of punch. After the loop you'll have the highest Gs

at about 5,2. In the back you'll even get some airtime in the following classic Figure-8 track.

 

Still having the original manufacturer's sign! And it's yearly testet by the german TÜV as well as by the netherland

equivalent getting the grade "Good Operations".

 

Nerd-shot of the wheel-assembly. It's still using the first generation assembly thats called "so dangerous" in Canada.

 

Close-up of the Weber Zwunka - the Weber version of the Flying Carpet that travelled the carnivals in the early 80s.

 

Zwunka in action. A nice ride but not as much airtime as a Zierer Carpet...

 

On board a Huss Condor.

 

A Schwarzkopf "double-feature": A 1972 Monster II and a first generation Monorail. The latter is the only surviving

installation - here running a classic and original Schwarzkopf train. Inside the station are two newer trains that were

built by Slagharen. This First-Gen even isn't a real Monorail - it's running on air tires on the rail.

 

A logflume in the front with the massive Schwarzkopf Apollo chain-flyer in the back. The latter was built as "Apollo 14"

and featured 4 gondolas that went up and down on the main brown beams. As it was too complex for carnival operations

it was re-made into a chain-flyer and finally ended up in Slagharen.

 

1974 Schwarzkopf Enterprise in full swing.

 

Yes, this confirms it....(-:

 

Old-Style gondolas with entry-system. When the ride starts the roofs are magnetically locked - but all have to be

closed manually before.

 

Weber Traumboot ("Dreamboat") doing its wonderful thing. This one even has the original german name on it. As this was

a prototype to the Huss Ranger it coudln't stop upside-down and the gondola is still based on a pirate. To my knowleldge

the only surviving installation.

 

Traumboot up close...

 

Apollo up close - showing whats all allowed on this ride. Swinging, rocking and riding holding each other.

 

...and no ride-attendent making a fuss about it....(-:

 

A Slagharen-made Merry-Go-Round - with these horses you'll normally find in front of stores. And the upper "roof" turns

the opposite way as the horses...

 

Schwarzkopf ferris-wheel...

 

And back to the Looping Star.

 

Huss Pirate with european-style theming...

 

Final view down the aisle. And yes they also have Vekoma MK-900 family-coaster - did that once.

 

Finally the 2011 park map (3 MB): http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/831/slagharenmap.jpg/

Edited September 27, 2011 by simon8899

[andyuk200523]

Great TR, this place looks like heaven for a Schwarzkopf fan!!!!

 

BTW - The Traumboot, there are a few left operating, in fact a reconditioned one opened at Lightwater Valley this year under the name Black Pearl.

[SoCalCoasters]

This is RD's dream park

[GeorgeT]

Great Pics...thanks for posting that !!!

[simon8899]

Part 2: Walibi Holland (formerly known as Walibi World and Six Flags Holland)

 

 

Upon entry you get into a retro-50s main street with many shops and stores. Over everything blares a quite not-so-nice

rock'n'roll soundtrack. But that soon vanishes as you get behind the portal building - picture one in the back. Walibi

Holland is devided into lands which are quite small if you compare than to for example Disneyland as each land is mostly

arranged around a square.

 

And not only in theming you can see the many different managements this park had over time - also in a quite unique

combination in the rides and coasters. As it was most times under dutch management they bought four homemade Vekoma

coasters while under the short Six Flags rule a Intamin Mega-Coaster was errected.

 

Overall the park gives IMO a quite unbalanced feeling. Some parts are nicely done like the Medival land and the Mexico

square while others look like some rides accidently standing together. Also a remainder of the Six Flags rule is the

thumbs-up by the attendents and the "Dispatch!" over the speakers - which I haven't seen before in europe.

 

Sadly the XPress was still out of service but at least cranes were around them and from Goliath you could see workers

climbing on it. Also out of service for the day was the Sombrero - a unique Monster-based ride with four arms were

one round gondola themed as a Sombrero hat is attached, as the arms go up and down and the whole thing turns each "hat"

spins on its own.

 

 

View down the American Street after the entry. The rides begin after the you passed the portal building in the back.

 

Tugged quite hidden in the back is Goliath - Six Flags addition to this park, even still showing the original sign.

Even if I'm more for looping coasters I've to admit that this is the best coaster of this park. As it's tugged in the

back it's hard to photograph so I can only tell you of the Stengel-Dive: After the first camelback the coaster goes up

again and at the peak the track tilts 90-95 degrees to the left! Also cool: Two long bayerncurves that have a high

greyout potential - especially in the back.

 

On the way to Goliath you find a Huss Enterprise.

 

On the way to the Vekoma woody Robin Hood. What to expect...?

 

Sadly not much as this coaster feels rougher than a 80+ years old Giant Dipper. In part attributed to the cars of the

train which oscillate nearly all trough the ride.

 

One ride clearly was enough. Nevertheless this was the most crowded coaster...

 

After the Vekoma shaking I needed a good coaster. Goliath uses not a traditional chain-lift but the train is lifted

by a caddy with latches onto a fast moving steel-wire - you're nearly propelled over the lifthill.

 

Three bunnyhops with massive airtime finish the ride followed by a final overbanked turn. Tall poeple should keep the

arms inside on the final turn as the bushes come really close.

 

In the Medival area stands this Vekoma mad house named Merlin's Magic Castle. Honestly these are the best rides Vekoma

produces. Nicely themed and with the theme of "The Princess Bride" the central room revolves around you while the passenger

platform tilts up to 30 degrees to add to the illusion of looping around. This is the smaller version of the Vekoma

mad house - more on this type of attraction with inside pics on my final part about De Efteling were the prototype stands.

 

A canal traverses the park with a Vekoma ferris wheel in the back.

 

This Huss TopSpin named Excalibur was often called to be on a boring program with no multi-spins. Well, someone obviously

had read that! The program starts boring and the ride finally stops - but then it starts again and does a single 4-spin

before the ride really is over!

 

On to Wild West Land - with the obligatory log-flume.

 

A quite old pirate ship with manual lapbars.

 

A nicely made western saloon with showstage. Sadly in spring and autumn shows are only on the weekends - according to

the pics they've an un-western Tribute To Charlies Angels show with sparsly clad girls. Damn!

 

Western square with the Zierer Tivoli kiddie coaster Rattlesnake.

 

A unique park-version of a Frisbee with the engine at the top. As it swings more powerful than the Huss Frisbee the

swing-height is a little lower.

 

A Huss Magic quite hidden as it was aqquired from another park with a roman theming on it.

 

Entering WAB-Plaza and welcome back blaring rock music. One ride is a uniquely themed Zierer Waveswinger.

 

The Speed Of Sound was one of the first Vekoma Boomerang installations. After it lay defunct for years it was nicely

rethemed and got new trains with on-board music-system which plays a synchronous soundtrack.

 

The new trains with their seatbelt-restaints are quite good IMO making this the second best coaster in the park.

 

The SLC prototype Condor - this fact doesn't makes it better. Boy this coaster hurts!

 

When you reach this point you have survived Condor - but sometimes kids stand under you with Soakers...

 

As I had to drive on one final SWOOOSH with Speed Of Sound as it's close to the exit.

 

A sneak peak of XPress from the parking lot.

 

And finally again the 2011 park map: http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/7/walibimap.jpg/

[aviadigit]

How nice to see a TR of Walibi Holland on here .

 

Did you ride Robin Hood in a row not above wheels(so rows 2, 5, 8, etc.)? I think it's still quite an enjoyable ride if you sit there, especially in the middle of the train. Also, Speed of Sound(La Via Volta), Robin Hood, Xpress(Superman the Ride) and the Mack wild mouse that moved to France last year were all built under Six Flags management, so the reason that most of them are Vekomas is not because of the park was under Dutch management at that time . Only El Condor was built before the Six Flags years...

 

How nice to see those cranes around Xpress by the way, it's getting repainted to black track with grey supports, which I think is a bit odd... Oh well, everything is better than the pink/light-blue color it used to be, you could even see the original green color from when it still was Riddler's Revenge at some points .

[simon8899]

Part 3: De Efteling - Post 1 of 2

 

 

De Efteling is one of the most beautiful parks I've visited so far. In theming and atmosphere I count it among Disneyland

and Tivoli Gardens.

 

Efteling was founded before WWII as an Sport- and Relaxationpark but after the war in 1952 the fairy tale forest was

opened, which are wonderfully done and a charm for smaller children. Next to the fairy tale forest a classic carnival

was opened in 1956 and this way it stayed - with the addition of a new fairy tale to the forest up until the late 1970s.

It was then decided to turn this family-park into a full amusement park. The first step was one of the first Vekoma

MK-1200 featuring a double-loop and double-corkscrew. It was put on the other side of the Efteling lake to put the

traditionalists a little at ease.

 

Today Efteling has a good coaster collection for an european park but lacks a little in flatrides. But what it has are

marvelous darkrides and the huge life-show theatre Raveleijn. In the upcomming months Efteling will add a musical-

theatre (End of 09/11), a watershow made by WET the guys who made the Fountains At Bellagio (05/12) and a new Darkride

called Realm Of Fantasy (2013).

 

Prices are on the top end for an european park with €32 (USD 40) per adult and parking €10 (USD 13) but for me its

worth it. Next to the park you'll find the Realm Of Doors And Portals - the Efteling hotel.

 

 

The entry building is huge...looking like a kind of giant's lair. Housing the ticket-sales, restrooms and the souvenir

shop.

 

It's always worth to discover everything in this park. Above you see a pizza fast food joint themed like an underwater

grotto named Octopus.

 

The Spookslot - walk-trough ghost house - and on the right the walkway towards the Bobbaan...

 

The Bobbaan entry. You hear the coaster rumbling around you in the woods, but as the woods are so tight you nearly

can't get a clear view onto it.

 

Bobaan station and a car for the Intamin Swiss-Bob. This was the second coaster built in 1985. I quite like this ride

as the single cars deliver a very truthful resemblance to a real bob inside an ice-canal. Okay it bangs a little into

the block-breaks but overall far better than the standard train-bobs. When many heavy poeple ride the car it can swing

up very high inside the canal - thats why the cars have rollover bars in the front and back.

 

Hard to photograph through the woods...

 

Joris And The Draak - George And The Dragon - in the foreground with De Vliegnede Hollander - Flying Dutchman - in the

back. Joris And The Draak is a marvelous duelling wooden coaster. You can choose to ride the Waterdargon or the

Firedragon. The tracks are only mirrored for the first half of the coaster, then each train takes an individual course.

At the end you've a racelike finish-sgin and a flag shows the winning train. Also there's a water fountain that sprays

one train and its riders depending on the wind...

 

View of De Vliegende Hollander from before the Joris station, a marvelously themed darkride/water-coaster. More on this

later...

 

Water (left) and Vuur (right) on the lift hill...

 

The waterdragon has won! The winning train gets waving flags from above and a "Hooray!" over the speakers. The loosing

train comes in a little later were the lights are dimmed and a "Boooooo!" is played over the speakers.

 

A place with a view...

 

Here you enter De Vliegende Hollander and sets the story: The queue starts inside the captain's house. The captain got

greedy and you enter one of his smuggler tunnels that ends inside a shady tavern at nighttime in a 18th century dutch

port town...

 

My take on the station - or the harbour port. Well smartphone cameras have to be improved for dark environments...

 

A better view from a youtube video: You decent the stairs from the tavern and enter the ride to search for the missing

Vliegende Hollander. At first you enter the loading area were two huge sailers a loaded with water and barells. Then

the ride enters the pitch-black. After explosions you meet the ghost-ship - a soaring animated holograph projected onto

a mist of water - and then you're face to face with the devilish front figurine of the Hollander. Then down a small drop

and the car latches onto the chainlift were you meet a medusa and finally hear the doomed captain: "Now you'll sail

for all eternity!" (in dutch). The lift picks up speed and kind of propels you outside. Now starts the coaster seaction

of the only KumbaK coaster so far.

 

As you exit Hollander you can go straight to Phyton. The Vekoma looper features a very hard shock in the traverse

between the loops and the corkscrews.

 

Loopy....

 

Hollander doing the splash. The intensity of the splash can be adjusted for winter operation. Over the whole area lies

the costum-composed classical musical theme of the Hollander recorded at the Prague Symphonic Orchestra - I had it in my

ears for days...

 

Park train station and huge fast-food area - inside.

 

Station Oost from the outside...

 

The prototype of the huge Intamin pirate ship. Even more swingy than the Huss variant.

 

On the left the nicely themed station.

 

The Efteling lake with the huge Intamin Pagode in the background.

 

Classic teacup-ride here themed as huge boiling pots as Mister Cannibal.

 

Huge entry-portal of Vogel Rok - a Vekoma MK-750 enclosed coaster.

 

Vogel Rok station. The ride itself is quite short were you'll meet Rok and his family - in recent years it was updated with

a few laser-effects.

 

This is the first half of Efteling - more soon...

[nander]

About Walibi Holland:

1 coaster was built under dutch management (The park was called Flevohof): Keverbaan (1992)-> RoadRunner Express (2000) -> Woks Waanzin -> Rattle Snake

1 coaster was built under Belgian management (The park was called Walibi Flevo): El Condor (1994)

 

All others were built under six flags:

La via volta -> Speed of Sound (2000/2011)

Superman - The Ride -> Xpress (2000/2005)

Goliath (2002)

Robin Hood (2000)

(defunct) Flying dutchman goldmine (2000-2010)

 

Robin hood is actually quite ridable if you do not ride above the wheels, but in the middle of each carriage, so the 2nd row, the 5th row, the 8th row and the 11th row are good to go!

It shakes like hell, but it is a nice ride if you sit on the right spot. Notice how the robin hood is less crowded early and late. It also runs much faster (and more rough) later on the day, it delivers airtime on every possible location later on the day. Robin Hood around 19:00 is (11th row) comparable or better then Balder @ Liseberg in my opinion. It just runs incredibly fast; it even has lots of laterals on the return curve in the middle of the ride.

 

About the Efteling: the 'vliegende hollander' (flying dutchman) will NOT operate next winter, because it requires too much maintenance.. It will be closed for three months.

[simon8899]

Interesting to know that Hollander won't operate this winter - I talked to a guy onride who said he was riding it the last winters when it wasn't freezing - but likely he didn't know about this year.

 

Honestly on Robin Hood when I compare it to the Giant Dippers at Belmont Park and Santa Cruz Broadwalk and to the Colossos at Heide-Park this woodie can't compete in no way. Maybe I catched it on a bad day....

[simon8899]

Now the final pics from my tour - some more of Efteling:

 

 

The Old Carnival area of Efetling. All rides here were bought in 1956 and are operating here since then.

 

I love how this place looks nearly unchanged.

 

Classic Merry-Go-Round.

 

Wonderfully themed monorail ride.

 

Droomvlucht on the left - a Its A Small World kind of ride with suspended gondolas - and the new open air theatre

Raveleijn in the middle.

 

And to the right of the entry to Raveleijn is the prototype of the Vekoma mad-house called Villa Volta. These Vekoma

rides are really fun!

 

Oh my - its loopy! But not really: The room revolves around you while the passenger plattform is tilted up to 30

degrees to add to the illusion.

 

Inside the Raveleijn theatre. You can't simply walk up for the shows - you've to get free tickets from vending machines

outside the theatre beforehand. This way Efteling avoids having lines for this - and on the vending machines you

immediatly see for which times there're still seats available.

 

Raveleijn is a fantasy/fairy-tale show - with damsels in distress and trained birds...

 

...and a bad guy having a mechanical dragon...

 

...and of course heroes fighting the dragon and arresting the bad guy.

 

After the show you can take your picture with the bad guy or hero free of charge.

 

One of the many marvellous views in this park.

 

The signature ATM inside a giant treasure-chest!

 

How Pagode works...

 

Landscaping from above.

 

Efteling has lots and lots of greenery. The coasters loom out of the trees in the back.

 

Construction going on for the new Realm Of Fantasy darkride - announced to open in 2013.

 

Pagode in parking position.

 

Entry Plaza of the huge darkride Fata Morgana.

 

Loading station of Fata Morgana. Inside you travel through scenes from the middle east to india. And finally you'll see

the Fata Morgana - made by lasers and water.

 

Efteling also has one of the first River Rapids in europe. Nicely themed into the mexican area.

 

From the mexican area there is a quite hidden small gravel walkway that leads you up to Vliegende Hollander were you can

get up close to the coaster.

 

Efteling mascot in front of the upcomming Realm Of Fantasy.

 

The main Promenade in the evening. Note the funny lampposts...

 

New watershow for 2012 - made by the guys who gave us the Fountains At Bellagio. It will be shown on the lake that is

surrounded by the entry plaza, the musical theatre and the Fata Morgana darkride.

 

And finally the 2011 park map: http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/850/eftelingmap.jpg/